The present invention relates to endoscopes, including endoscopic ligators, with universal connectors.
Endoscopic devices have been commonly used for various procedures, typically in the abdominal area. Endoscopy is the examination and inspection of the interior of body organs, joints or cavities through an endoscope. Endoscopy allows physicians to peer through the body's passageways. An endoscopic procedure may be used to diagnose various conditions by close examination of internal organ and body structures and may also guide therapy and repair, such as the removal of torn cartilage from the bearing surfaces of a joint.
The endoscopic treatment of lesions presently encompasses a variety of techniques such as electrocauterization, laser photocoagulation, heat therapy by the application of heat probes, and sclerotherapy which involves the injection of medicine into a target varix by a needle passed through the working channel of the endoscope. A further, widely used and increasingly promising technique involves the ligation of lesions, wherein mucosal and submucosal tissue is strangulated by an elastic ligature.
Generally, ligation involves applying a band or ligature around a portion of tissue, thereby cutting off blood or fluid flow and causing the tissue to necrose and separate from adjacent healthy tissue. It is widely used to treat a number of medical conditions, including, but not limited to, hemorrhoids, polyps, ballooning varices, and other types of lesions, including those that are cancerous. Various types of instrumentation have been developed that are capable of deploying one or more preloaded ligating bands with the emphasis being on minimally-invasive devices that can be introduced through a natural body opening. The two primary types of ligating band dispensers are those designed to fit over, or work within an endoscope for treating sites that cannot be viewed directly, and simpler, stand-alone devices designed for situations where use of a standard endoscope is not necessary or required. Typically, both types are used with a suction or vacuum means to draw the tissue into the distal tip, whereby the band is deployed over the base of the diseased tissue to cut off blood flow.
A number of instruments for effecting the ligation of body tissue by the application of an elastic ring have been used. Some of these instruments, because of their rigidity and size, are suited only for treatment of lesions that are in the external regions of the body or in the shallow body cavities. Others are particularly suited for the ligation of tissue in the abdominal cavity, such as for tubal ligation, when the abdominal cavity has been opened surgically.
In many instances, there are a number of different sized endoscopes for which a ligation treatment is used. A typical endoscopic ligation barrel may only accommodate one size of an outer diameter of an endoscope. Thus, for each different sized endoscope, a different accommodating-sized ligator barrel or tip is required, thereby further increasing the cost of endoscopy.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an assembly or device that is compatible with and accommodates various endoscope sizes.